Community-minded craft breweries in northern Colorado are mobilizing efforts to help those impacted by the growing monster that is the High Park fire, from donating portions of their sales to dispatching drivers to deliver donated goods to offering up spent grain to feed large animals that have been evacuated.

New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins and its partners Decker Truck Line, Team Petroleum and Hydra Trucking are working with several organizations on the front lines, said New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson.

“Ultimately our focus is on our coworkers and our extended New Belgium family who have been impacted,” Simpson said in an email. “Fundraising efforts will become a priority once we move into the recovery phase of this disaster.

So far, the response from New Belgium and its partners include:

– New Belgium delivery drivers have been helping out at the Donations Collection Center at the Mervyn’s at Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, making runs in Fort Collins and Denver to deliver folding tables and about 11 pallets worth of retail racks and accessories.

– A couple of packaging workers have delivered hundreds of box flats to the Larimer Humane Society for use as compostable litter boxes. The brewery also has been speaking with Hunt Farms and the Humane Society to see if spent grain can be used as a feed source for 180-plus large animals that have been evacuated.

– New Belgium, Decker Truck Line, Team Petroleum and Hydra Trucking have donated storage space, trailers and fuel to Salvation Army and American Red Cross relief efforts, and New Belgium workers have volunteered as disaster information specialists at a United Way call center.

Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewing is donating $1 from every Oskar Blues beer bought from Friday through Sunday at its taproom and restaurants in Longmont and Lyons, spokesman Chad Melis said. The proceeds will go to help displaced families through the Red Cross. Today, the Oskar Blues Bonewagon is serving meals at the Budweiser Events Center to families and firefighters gathered there, Melis said.

“We are working within our community to try to help with relief in a couple of ways; we just donated beer to a fundraiser at Hodi’s Half Note, a local music venue last Saturday night, all proceeds went to fire relief, I can get you numbers as soon as I see them. We will also donate beer to a fundraiser at Avogador’s Number this Wednesday night (another local music venue). We will donate our tip jar in our tap room for the month of July to relief (we haven’t chosen an organization yet as they continue to spring up and we want to make sure that all monies reach the victims). We will also host a gourmet dinner and beer pairing here at the brewery on Sunday, July 8th at $60 a plate. We are going to sell 80 seats, so far we have Jax Fishhouse and Whole Foods on board to donate and I will be reaching out to a number of local companies and farms to donate product and time … We are planning a Team Build for the end of the summer that will engage all of our co-workers in helping to restore the burn area.”

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!